My daughter (also 3.5) has always been a lousy sleeper. She used to sleep through more often (but never very consistently), then got into the habit of calling me a few times most nights. Just wanting company for a few minutes, sometimes a drink of water.
Recently I decided the time had come to sort this out, and opted to go the incentive route: a sticker reward chart, plus a special treat for breakfast - yoghurt in a tube. (Novelty value!) It worked like a charm but the interesting thing is, the elaborate system of rewards we planned turned out to be completely unnecessary. She's just in it for the stickers (and the sense of pride/accomplishment, I think). They're a much more powerful motivator than I expected. Not every kid will respond this way of course, and the rewards may have to play a greater role, but it's worth trying!

Amy writes: "I should preface this question by saying that my son has always had sleep issues of one kind or another (he didn't really sleep through the night until age 1 and often takes a long time to fall asleep) and we have not been strict about "sleep training." He is now nearly 3 1/2. While...